Recovery
by madwarringinvenice
Summary: After a mission where Neji was raped by Orochimaru, Hinata takes it upon herself to nurse him back to health. Feelings develop, hearts are broken, etc. RAPE AND SLIGHT LANGUAGE! NejixHina, onesided OroxNeji
1. Chapter 1

Recovery

I do not own Naruto, Neji, or anything of the like!!!

Screaming echoed off the dank walls of the dark hallways. Candles seemed to flicker in fear of the sound. The cries of agony could be traced to a small room at the end of a particularly dark corridor. The heavy mahogany door was not sufficient to muffle the horrifying sounds.

Inside, a long dark haired man was bent over a figure on a bed. His black hair was glistening with sweat and it stuck to his bare back as he moved. His face was twisted into a cynical grin as he watched the writhing figure beneath him.

The other figure also had long hair. It was sprawled out over the pillow, becoming more and more tangled as he screamed. His eyes were shut tight and his head thrashed from side to side in agony. Finally the man above him stopped and he was able to open his eyes. The man's pearly eyes filled with tears as he looked at his attacker.

"Now, now. No need to look so sad. You should look like you're having a good time. I know I am," the dark man hissed. The pale-eyed man closed his milky orbs once again and turned away from the man on top of him. He heard the man release a kind of hissing laugh, before bending down and kissing his neck.

The younger man whimpered as the older nin, called Orochimaru, kissed his way up his neck, and along his jaw line, before finally capturing his mouth. He released a small groan of discomfort as a long, slimy tongue slid past his lips and into his mouth.

"Come now, Neji," Orochimaru whispered between kisses, "Cooperate a little and this will hurt less. I promise."

Neji knew better than to trust this nin. The horrors he was facing now would not be any less painful whether he cooperated or not. He knew that.

Orochimaru resumed his thrusting, causing Neji to cry out in pain once again. The sound was muffled and choked off by the older ninja moving his tongue around in Neji's mouth, who almost suffocated as the slimy appendage was nearly forced all the way into his esophagus. The sannin hissed again before finding release in Neji's body.

He panted heavily as he pulled out of the unwilling male below him and collapsed momentarily. He smiled where he lay and gently ran a cold hand across the sweaty, pale skin of his captive. The wandering hand ran across Neji's stomach, trailed up over his chest and neck, before finally cupping his face.

"Heh, don't look so sad. You were absolutely wonderful. You should feel proud," the dark man hissed.

Neji closed his eyes in shame and turned away, uselessly pulling on the chains the bound his hands above his head. Orochimaru grabbed Neji's chin and pulled his head back to where he could see his face and claimed his mouth once again. Neji made no reaction. He just sat still, too oblivious of anything around him to care.

After finishing his assault on Neji's mouth, the dark nin rose off the bed and began to get dressed. Neji stared blankly at the ceiling while listening to the sound of the snake nin's rustling clothing. Once dressed, Orochimaru called for Kabuto to come in.

The silver haired man was there so quickly; it was as if he had always been there.

"You called, my lord?" he asked.

"Yes. I want you to take this young thing right here," Orochimaru said, gesturing to Neji, "and I want you to dispose of him somewhere near the Leaf Village."

"You _want_ them to find him?" Kabuto asked, confused.

"Yes, I do. I want those fools to know that I am not a force to be trifled with. They will see that once they find him. However, should he bleed to death that is also acceptable. A fitting end for someone who is no good for anything else, don't you agree?"

"I do. May I ask how it was?" the grey haired nin asked, smirking.

"He did rather well for a virgin. He may as well be destined for a life of prostitution. He could make a fortune."

"Heh, good to hear," Kabuto said, grinning.

"I'll leave you to take care of him, then."

Orochimaru disappeared. Kabuto then walked over to the young man lying on the bed. Neji's milky eyes were once again closed. Kabuto undid the chains and let Neji's arms fall onto the bed beside him. Too weak to move, Neji was limp in the sound nin's arms as he was lifted from the bed.

"Consider yourself lucky. Lord Orochimaru doesn't take fancy in just anyone. He must have seen something special in you," Kabuto said, carrying a still nude and half conscious Neji through the halls of the hide-out. The sound of Kabuto's footsteps echoed off the walls as he walked, lulling Neji into a pain-induced sleep. He was unconscious before they even made it to the doors.

~*~*~*~*~

Team Kakashi leapt through the trees. After a short mission to the Sand, all were eager to return home.

"I'm going straight for ramen when I get back!" Naruto called; making some birds scatter with all his yelling.

"Is there ever anything on your mind other than ramen?" Sakura called back.

"Is there anything else to ever think about?" Naruto asked questioningly.

Kakashi laughed at the free spiritedness of his team. Being with these two always seemed to put him in a better mood… a mood that was crushed when he suddenly felt as if something was very wrong. He came to a halt, scanning the area.

"Naruto! Sakura! Hold on, something isn't right here," Kakashi called to his team. The two younger ninja halted and turned to their sensei with confused looks.

"What's the matter, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"Can you sense that chakra?" the jounin asked. Naruto and Sakura paused. Checking their surroundings, their eyes lit up with sudden insight.

"Yeah! I can sense it!" Naruto yelled.

"…It's really weak. They must be either far away or asleep," Sakura added.

"It's this way. Come on," Kakashi commanded. He jumped off into the forest, Naruto and Sakura following close behind. Kakashi had honed in on the signal and was following it closely. The trees thinned out, creating a small clearing in the forest. In the center of the tiny grove, a human figure laid still and silent. Leaping over, Kakashi bent down to examine the body.

Naruto and Sakura landed right behind their sensei as he turned the body over. They all gasped.

"Neji!!" Naruto yelled, seeing his jonin comrade unconscious on the ground. Kakashi put two fingers to Neji's neck, feeling for a pulse.

"He's alive. He's just out cold. We need to get him back to the village…and fast," Kakashi said solemnly.

Naruto pulled a blanket from his backpack. Handing it to his teacher, he watched as the silver-haired nin wrapped Neji in it before scooping him up and taking off once again in the direction of the village.

Hang on, Neji. Just a little farther. Don't give up on us yet, Naruto thought urgently. His eyes turned red in anger. Whoever it was that had done this to Neji; his friend, his comrade, they were going to pay!

~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter 1! Woo-hoo!!! I feel so fulfilled!! Again, responses will determine if this is continued or not. So if you liked it, or if you hated it and would like to give constructive criticism, you know what to do!!! Clicky, clicky!!!!!**


	2. Chapter 2

Recovery

**I do **_**NOT**_** own Naruto. Mr. Naruto owner does. Don't ask me his name!!!**

Nurses ran to and fro, paging calls came over the intercom at least every 3 seconds. Just another average day at the Leaf Village Hospital. Shizune was making her rounds, clipboard in hand, when she heard Sakura's voice calling to her. She turned, expecting to see the happy, go-lucky Hokage's apprentice that she had come to know, but was stunned by the look of horror that was covering the pink-haired girl's features.

"Where is Tsunade-sama?!" she asked urgently, in a very out of breath tone.

"Why? What's going on?" Shizune asked.

At that moment, Naruto and Kakashi came running into the hospital after Sakura. Kakashi was holding what looked like an unconscious person.

"He needs medical attention immediately," said Kakashi, with a subtle hint of worry in his voice. Shizune nodded and led the shinobi through the halls of the hospital.

Naruto looked over at the limp form that his sensei was carrying. He felt the deep pit in his stomach return as he stared sadly at Neji. He wasn't really sure he was ready to hear what Tsunade had to say about his condition. Sakura had even looked him over before they had reached the hospital. She had refused to tell him anything until they had gotten the word from Tsunade herself. This only made Naruto more nervous.

The small group finally reached the Hokage's office. Shizune knocked politely on the door, after which a booming yell could be heard from inside, giving them permission to enter. Sakura opened the door and approached her teacher, bowing in respect.

"Well, Sakura? What is it?" the Hokage asked. Sakura's look darkened and she motioned behind her to Kakashi standing in the doorway.

"We found him on the outskirts of the village while we were returning home from Suna. He was unconscious and doesn't seem to be in very good condition. We were hoping you would look him over," the pink-haired kunoichi said softly. Tsunade's eyes softened.

"Bring him in here," she told Kakashi, leading the way to a small room off of her office with a bed in it. Kakashi laid the unconscious brunette on the bed and shooed his students out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Naruto listened to the clock on the wall ticking as time passed. It felt like an eternity had passed by the time Tsunade came out of the small room. A sad expression adorned her features. She came over and stood in front of Kakashi.

"I think it would be best if you keep this to yourselves for now. Tell only who you must, for Neji's sake," she said softly.

Naruto was really worried now. Grandma Tsunade never spoke quietly unless it was really bad. Just this fact alone sent his mind into a whirling panic. His eyes grew wide and his breathing picked up. Standing up and getting right in to Hokage's face, he started to yell.

"What is it, Granny?! Is he ok?! Come on, tell me! What happened to him?! Is he gonna die?! Don't tell me he's gonna die!!" Naruto screamed. Tsunade clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Be quiet, you idiot! This is a hospital you know! You are going to wake the other patients!" she hissed back a him. Kakashi stood and laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"What is the problem, my lady?" the jounin asked.

Tsunade sighed. "It's pretty bad, but he'll live. I'm more concerned for his mental stability at this point."

"Why's that?" Sakura asked.

"Judging by his wounds, I'm assuming that he was captured on his mission," she explained.

"Well, obviously. But I don't think that's all there is to it," said Kakashi.

"You're right," Tsunade continued. "As far as I can tell, he was also raped by whoever held him hostage."

Naruto's mouth fell open. Looking around the room, he could see that Kakashi had turned his eyes to the floor in despair. Sakura had her eyes closed as if that had been the answer she had been expecting.

"What do you mean?!" Naruto yelled.

"I mean that somewhere during the mission, he was captured and whoever it was also forced him into having sex. That's what rape is, Naruto," Tsunade said irritably.

"I know what rape is!! What I don't understand is how someone as strong as Neji could be captured and taken advantage of like that!!" Naruto yelled back.

"Naruto," Kakashi said soothingly, "As strong as Neji is, there are still plenty of ninja out there who would be able to beat him. No one is invincible."

Naruto stopped. Kakashi was right. As much as he would like to deny it, there were still plenty of ninja in the world that would be able to do this, too many to name. He sighed in defeat and let the Hokage finish talking.

"Thank you, Kakashi," she said to Naruto's sensei.

"What are we going to do about it? As I understand, a rape victim is often very unstable during recovery," Sakura stated.

"Well, first we have to wait for him to wake up. He's asleep now and that is the best thing for his body at the moment. Once he wakes up, I'm going to see if I can get some answers out of him as to whom the rapist was. Just leave him to me," she told the three shinobi.

"When do you think he would be able to go home?" asked Naruto.

"It all depends on him. Depending on how fast he stabilizes, I guess. He could be here for a week; he could be here for two months. It's all up to him."

"What about his family? Should we tell them about what happe-…?"

"Uhh…" a weak moan came from the other room, interrupting Sakura's question. Naruto glanced around Tsunade's form and peered into the small hospital room. The blonde boy could see Neji stirring on the bed. Tsunade turned and slowly approached him. Curious, Naruto followed.

Tsunade came up to stand next to the bed. She waited patiently for Neji to wake. Naruto came and stood next to the Hokage, anxiety and worry etched on his face. Neji finally opened his eyes, gazing drearily around the room. His eyes rested on the Hokage. She smiled as she started to speak.

"Hello, Neji. How are you feeling?" she asked softly.

"I ache all over," the white-eyed young man replied. His voice was weak and he sounded very tired. "What happened?"

Sakura jumped in. "What do you remember?"

"Not much. I remember running through the trees close to the village, stopping to rest, and not much after that."

"Did you fall asleep when you had stopped?" Tsunade asked.

"I guess I must have. I must have hit my head along the way too. That would explain that awful dream I had. That would make sense," he said softly.

"Dream?" Naruto asked, "What dream?"

Tsunade paused. Turning to Kakashi, she motioned for him to take Sakura and Naruto out of the room. Kakashi nodded.

"Come on, you two. We have to go outside for a moment," he said to his team.

"But Kakashi-sensei!!" Naruto complained.

"No buts, Naruto. We have to go." Kakashi turned and pushed his students out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Neji, who was thoroughly confused by this point, turned back to Tsunade, obviously expecting and answer. The blonde woman smiled sadly at the young shinobi.

"Neji, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but that dream you had wasn't a dream."

Neji's eyes widened. Tsunade took a deep breath before launching into her horrific explanation.

Naruto was twiddling his thumbs again in the waiting room. _Well this seems familiar_, the blonde shinobi thought to himself. He practically jumped out of his skin when the door to Neji's room clicked open. Tsunade came out with a mixture of emotions on her face. The most prominent being anger.

Sakura stood up. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him the truth. His 'dream' as he put it was no dream. He needed to know that in order to get over the shock," she said sadly.

"Did you figure out who it was?" Kakashi asked. Tsundae nodded the anger in her face returning. Naruto was on the edge of his seat. He was digging his nails into the palms of his hands. Why was Tsunade taking so long to answer? Finally he couldn't stand it anymore. He stood, and demanded an answer.

"Well are you gonna tell us?! Who was it?!" the Kyuubi boy yelled. Tsunade turned to him, glaring daggers at the poor boy. Naruto silenced himself. The Hokage calmed down, speaking again.

"It was Orochimaru," she said solemnly.

The three shinobi stood silently, too shocked to even speak. Kakashi's normally expressionless face was distorted into a look or surprise. Sakura's eyes were wide in horror. Naruto, for once, was speechless. The blonde boy had to sit down in his chair because he couldn't trust his legs to keep him up.

Tsunade sighed. "He told me he wants to go home as soon as possible. I'm going to keep him here for a few nights and then send him home then."

"That seems like it would seem like the best course of action. I'll do anything you ask of me, Lady Tsunade," Sakura added. Kakashi didn't respond. Naruto looked up at the blonde woman with hopeful eyes, and spoke for the first time.

"Can we go in and see him?"

"I guess you can. Just be careful with him. His mind is very fragile right now," she said softly. "Sakura, go in with him."

"Yes, my Lady," Sakura said comfortingly.

"If Neji starts to have a mental breakdown, you have my permission to sedate him so he can't hurt himself. Understand?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Sakura said, nodding.

"Good," she said as she turned to Kakashi, "I have a few more things I would like to discuss with you. If you would follow me, I'll make this short."

Kakashi and Tsunade turned to exit, leaving Naruto and Sakura in the office. Sakura turned to her blonde teammate and nodded.

"Let's go," she said with a sad smile. Naruto smiled sadly back at her.

"Okay, let's go."

Sakura Quietly opened the door. Peering in, she could see Neji sitting on the bed. His white eyes were wide in shock and he was staring blankly at his hands, seeing nothing. She opened the door the rest of the way, leading Naruto inside.

Neji didn't even seem remotely aware of their presence. He didn't even blink as they entered the room. The only way that Naruto could tell that he was still alive was the way his shoulders shook in fear as the two ninja neared his bed. Sakura stopped nest to the bed in a similar way her teacher had. Neji looked up at her, tears threatening to spill from his milky eyes.

"How are you, Neji?" she said, almost in a whisper.

"I don't really think I need to tell you anything. You're smart, you can figure it out for yourself," he said coldly. Naruto's eyes dropped to the floor, hurt. Glancing back at his friend, he reached out with his hand trying to touch Neji's arm in a comforting manner. Neji silently moved his hand away from Naruto's approaching one.

Naruto pulled his hand back to his side. "I'm so sorry, Neji…" he said. His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Saying you're sorry doesn't make a difference…" Neji replied, just as softly.

"Well, I don't know how to make you feel better then. I just want to help!" he clarified, raising his voice a little more than he should.

"Naruto…!" Sakura warned. She had been watching as Neji had started to cower in fear when Naruto had raised his voice like that. The brunette's shoulders were shaking and he had brought his arms up to cover the front of his body in a small attempt to shield himself from Naruto's outburst.

Naruto instantly quieted down. Sakura was trying to get Neji to relax. She was saying soothing words and gently rubbing his back, being careful not to touch him too much.

"Is there anything I can get for you?" she asked him once he had calmed down some.

"No, thank you, Sakura."

"Just let me know if there is anything that I can get for you, alright?"

"Sure," he gave a small smile, and then turned to Naruto, "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"It's alright. I kinda deserved it. I shouldn't have raised my voice at you like that. I mean, if I was in your shoes, I would be falling into a spiraling depression."

Neji looked away. _You have no idea_, the young Hyuuga thought.

"You should get some sleep now. Come on, Naruto," Sakura said, helping Neji lie down and leading her blonde teammate out of the room. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving Neji in silence.

He peered through the open curtains to the blue skies beyond them. Sighing in despair, he rolled over and closed his eyes.

It's a nice day. Too bad I won't be able to enjoy days like this one for a while, Neji thought as he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

**Please Read and Review!! You know you want to!!**


	3. Chapter 3

Recovery

I do _**NOT**_ own Naruto or anything associated with it. It all belongs to Kishimoto.

It had almost been 3 weeks since Neji's return to the village. Since then, he has been in the hospital cared to only by female nurses, his fear of being hurt again seeming to get in the way of his socializing. Even his team was scarcely allowed to visit. Tsunade thought the over-exuberance of his two male teammates would have a negative effect on Neji's recovery. She wanted to keep him here in the hospital until he was back to normal again.

Neji had other desires. He wanted nothing more than to go home. He had made it abundantly clear that he hated hospitals, and being stuck in one place for so long was driving him crazy. One day, he woke up to Tsunade opening the door, as she always did at this time of day. Shizune was carrying a tray of food behind her. After setting the food down on the nightstand, Shizune took a few steps back and looked at the Hokage, who was smiling warmly at her patient.

"How are you feeling this morning, Neji?" she asked.

"Fine," he answered simply.

"That's good to hear. Do you need anything? More pillows or blankets?" she asked.

Neji gave her a blank stare. He gave her this same stare every morning hoping it would get the point across that more bedding would not make him happy at this point. The only reason he would want a pillow would be so he could use it as a projectile to nail a poor innocent bystander in the head with. That would defiantly alleviate some of the boredom.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Tsunade said with an equally blank stare.

_Damn right, that's a 'no'_, Neji thought, sourly.

"Look Neji, I know you don't like this, but until you start to cooperate you are going to stay here," the Hokage said as if responding to his stark internal comment.

Neji was about to open his mouth to retaliate when there was a soft knock at the door. Both Neji and Tsunade turned to see Hinata pull the door open and quietly slide inside. She smiled timidly at her bedridden cousin and bowed to the Hokage.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said in her usual soft voice.

"Nope. You're fine. I was just leaving," Tsunade said as she scribbled something down on Neji's medical chart and walked briskly from the room.

Hinata inched closer to the bed, her long hair swaying as she walked. She smiled at her cousin and sat in the chair next to him.

"How are you feeling, Nii-san?" she asked.

"I've been better," Neji replied truthfully.

"I figured as much," Hinata stated, her voice dropping in volume. Neji was staring hard at her, trying to read her eyes.

"What's wrong, Hinata-sama?"

"How many times do I have to tell you to drop the honorific?" she asked, avoiding his question.

"Don't blame me. It's a habit," Neji replied, shrugging, "Now will you please tell me what's wrong?" She paused.

"Father wanted me to come over and check on you. He's been worried," Hinata stated softly.

"What for? He has no reason to worry about me," Neji stated bluntly.

Hinata looked appalled. "Of course he does! You're his nephew. It's only natural for him to care, especially now."

"Is something important going on today? I'm afraid I've been kind of out of the loop."

"Well," she began, sounding hesitant, "The elders gathered today…"

"And?"

"They were discussing your current situation. Apparently some of the elders of the Hyuuga want to have you excommunicated from the clan."

Neji wasn't at all surprised. Leave it to a room full of senile old men to jump the gun on something he had no control over.

"And what's your take on that, Hinata?" Neji asked softly, "Would you prefer if I was excommunicated?"

Hinata looked at her cousin. She seemed shocked that her cousin would ever think that she would wish this on him. She searched his face for any sign emotion. His face betrayed nothing, but his eyes told her that he was expecting her to agree with the elders. How could he not? She was Main, and all Main Branch Hyuuga thought alike. Right?

"Neji, I would never wish something like that on you! I know you had no control over what happened and I don't blame you for anything. In fact, my father and I have been fighting the elders almost nonstop for over a week now. Seeing you leave the Hyuuga would be the last thing that my father would stand for. He loves you, Neji," Hinata insisted.

Neji looked down at his hands once Hinata had finished. He wished with all his heart that he could believe that, but he couldn't follow words blindly. He was fully aware that the elders usually got their way and that no matter what Hiashi said, if this was the elders really wanted, it would happen. That was one of the things that he hated most about Hyuuga politics.

Neji took a wary look around his hospital room and frowned. As much as he hated it here, perhaps it would be best to stay here until everything blew over. The elders couldn't get to him here.

Hinata, as if sensing her cousin's unease, placed a comforting hand on his. Neji glanced at her and smiled. She always knew how to lighten his spirits.

"When do you think you would want to come home?" Hinata asked, breaking into his reverie.

Neji paused. "As soon as I can… I hate it here…" Hinata smiled at her cousin's soft but blunt reply.

"I bet I could pull a few strings and get you out of here soon," she told him. He looked up at her hopefully. "There is a small condition though."

Neji waited expectantly for her to continue.

"You would have to stay here for a few more days just for Tsunade to be sure. And you would have to be pleasant. That means no back-talking, refusing treatments, or harmful wishes on the staff," the Hyuuga heiress stated, counting the conditions off on her fingers. Neji scowled for a moment. Then he sighed.

"Fine. I promise," he said compliantly.

** I know this is really short. It just didn't want to cooperate and wouldn't let me make it any longer! I really tried!**

** So as always, reviews are loved, haters are burned by the heat of their own hateful comment, and I love NejiHina!**


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